Cinderkaren
by EcchiNekos
Summary: A famous fairy tale retold as a bit of A/K fluff. Silly and pointless, but that's what we do best. ^_~ (rating for mild language)
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1:  
  
Once upon a time, in a house just down the corner across from Joe's Crab Shack, there lived a man with his lovely daughter, Karen. One day, the man decided to remarry, for he thought his daughter needed a mother. The woman he chose to be his bride was a mean and spiteful woman, with two daughters from a previous marriage. Her daughters were quite lovely, but she thought that Karen's beauty threatened that of her own children, so she made her stepdaughter wear the dirtiest rags and hand-me-downs. One day, the man decided to go on a trip to a nearby Soaphouse and was never seen from again. It is then that our story starts...  
  
"Cinderkaren! Cinderkaren!" Kanoe screamed from her room, sitting in front of a mirror. "Where is that girl?" she asked of her oldest daughter Satsuki, who was brushing her hair.  
  
Satsuki shrugged sullenly, picking up a hair tie and putting her hair back in her usual ponytail. "What do I care?" she muttered. "She's nothing to me."  
  
Kanoe rolled her eyes, realizing that she should have known better than to ask Satsuki (considering she was the antisocial daughter). With a dramatic sigh she got up and left the room, crossing to her younger daughter's room. "Arashi, have you seen the wench?"  
  
The beautiful black-haired girl at the vanity turned around and looked at her mother. "No, Mother, I haven't," she said in her soft-spoken manner.  
  
Kanoe made a noise of irritation and turned to leave the room, when Arashi spoke. "Mother, wait."  
  
The woman turned around. "Yes, daughter?"  
  
Arashi hesitated. "Is it true that... that you keep Karen in rags and make her do all the work because she is more beautiful than Satsuki and I?"  
  
Kanoe looked shocked for a moment, then laughed loudly to cover up her surprise (for indeed, that was exactly why she treated Karen so badly). "That wench? Of course not. She's terribly ugly, and deserves no better than the life of a slave to us. Indeed, she's fortunate that I haven't decided to throw her out on the street, for she is truly unworthy of sharing the same house with creatures as lovely as my beautiful daughters."  
  
Arashi smiled and regarded herself in the mirror, admiring her long, silky black hair and smooth pale skin. "Really?"  
  
"Really. You and Satsuki are the most beautiful women in the land, and one day you will be married to the handsomest and richest lords I can find. Or perhaps even the Prince." Kanoe winked at her daughter.  
  
Arashi's eyes lit at the mention of the Prince. "Thank you, Mother."  
  
Kanoe kissed her daughter on the forehead, then remembered all at once that there were dishes that needed to be done, and that she needed to find that bothersome wench so that she could make herself useful for once. She quickly swept from the room, continuing her search for Karen.  
  
The aforementioned girl was downstairs in the kitchen, sweeping and cleaning out the large fireplace. The cinders were sticking all over her skin and with a sigh, she attempted to brush it off with a small brush.  
  
"Wench!" Kanoe screamed as she entered the large room.   
  
"Yes ma'am?" Karen asked and climbed out of the fireplace.  
  
"There are dishes to be done." Kanoe said coldly, regarding the dirty young girl.   
  
"I already did them." Karen said.  
  
"And did you sweep and mop the floors? And do the laundry? And empty the washbins? And chop the firewood? And bring in fresh vegetables?"  
  
"No ma'am.. not yet.."  
  
"Well then until you do them, you will have no supper." Kanoe rolled her eyes at the red-headed girl. "Hurry up and finish with your chores so you can begin to cook."  
  
"Yes ma'am." Karen waited until her stepmother had left before sighing and pulling out the broom. "Clean this and wash that and sweep this.... you'd think I was a slave."  
  
She stayed in the kitchen mopping the floors for a while before there was a knock on the large wooden door at the front of the house. As usual, she answered and took the envelope from the well-dressed man standing there.   
  
"Make sure this gets to the woman of the house." He reminded her and bowed as he left.  
  
"Yes, sir." She called after his retreating form and went upstairs to deliver the letter to Kanoe.   
  
Pausing outside her stepmother's room, she fingered the envelope in her hand and contemplated opening it. She would certainly be punished for that, but the fancy dress of the man who had delivered it and the intricate gold lettering on the front of the envelope were making her very curious.  
  
She turned the envelope over, and managed to catch sight of a royal-looking seal before Kanoe came charging out of her room and snatched it from Karen's hand.  
  
"Mind your own business, wench," she snapped, then examined the envelope. Her eyes lit up when she saw the seal and she excitedly called to her daughters. "Arashi! Satsuki! Come quick-- we've received a letter from the King!"  
  
The two girls came rushing out from their respective rooms and gathered in the hallway around their mother. Karen waited to be dismissed, but Kanoe ignored her, so she decided to stay and see what the letter said.  
  
Smiling, Kanoe opened the envelope and began to read. "Dear madams: You are cordially invited to a Royal Ball at the King's palace tomorrow night. Here, the Prince will be choosing a bride, so all single women are especially welcome."  
  
The mother and her two daughters squealed happily (well, as close to squealing happily as Satsuki and Arashi ever got, anyway).   
  
"Of course, you'll be wearing your finest gowns for this occasion," Kanoe said, putting an arm around each girl's shoulders. "You'll be the most beautiful women at the ball, and the Prince will be choosing one of you for a wife."  
  
Arashi and Satsuki momentarily glared at each other, realizing the rivalry that now stood between them. Their anger was soon replaced by excitement as they began to discuss which dresses they would choose to wear.  
  
"Um, ma'am..." Karen said quietly. Satsuki and Arashi closed their mouths and glared at her for interrupting them. "May I go too?"  
  
Kanoe laughed loudly. "YOU? Why should I let you go?"  
  
"Well it says all single women are invited..."  
  
Kanoe scoffed. "What would you wear anyway? I doubt they would let you in with those dirty rags."  
  
Satsuki snickered.   
  
"I could make a dress... oh please, Kanoe. Let me go!"  
  
In a rare moment of kindness, Kanoe relented. "You can go.. as long as you make your own dress AND all your chores are finished." She turned away and gestured to her daughters. "Come on, girls.. let's get you prepared for this ball."  
  
Karen counted her lucky stars and ran down to her basement bedroom to see what sort of material she had to make a dress. Mostly it was just scraps of different dresses that she had collected over the years but at the bottom of the box, she found a large bolt of green material. Grinning happily to herself, Karen left the fabric on her bed and left to do her chores as quickly as possible.  
  
A few days later, Satsuki examined herself in the mirror and adjusted the neckline of her dark green dress. "Why did mother insist our dress be as low cut as possible?" She asked Arashi irritably.  
  
Arashi was pulling up her neckline. "So that her cleavage isn't the only thing to blind people?"  
  
"Heh, most likely... I just don't want something to happen to my complexion."  
  
There was a knock at the door and Satsuki turned slightly, calling out. "Come in!"  
  
Karen stepped in timidly, dressed in a plain but pretty green dress. "Um.. I don't have any nice shoes to go along with this dress.. do you think I may borrow a pair of yours?"  
  
Arashi and Satsuki simply stared at their step-sibling. They glanced at each other, malice in both their eyes, and stepped toward Karen with smirks on their faces.  
  
"You're not thinking of going in THAT, are you?" Satsuki pressed, picking at one of the sleeves.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It's so simple, so plain. No one's going to notice you." Arashi pulled forcefully at the waist of the dress.  
  
"Stop, you're going to rip it." Karen tried to pull away from them, but Satsuki took hold of the neckline.  
  
"Rip it? You mean like this?" She pulled and Karen screamed and slapped the girl as a tear down to her waist appeared.  
  
"What's going on here?" Kanoe appeared in the doorway and Arashi and Satsuki leapt back, Satsuki holding a hand to her cheek.  
  
"Mother, she slapped me! In defense, I had to rip her dress." Satsuki lied, pointing to the red-head.  
  
"Is this true?" Kanoe glared at Karen.  
  
"No, it's not! They ripped my dress."  
  
"You mean that pile of rags? I hope you know you're not going to the ball like that." Kanoe grabbed the girl's shoulder and pushed her out into the hall. "Go to your room and wait til we're gone to come out.. we're having a Royal escort pick us up and I don't want him to lay eyes on a filthy wench like you."  
  
Karen bit her lip, fighting back the sudden urge to cry. But she had never allowed Kanoe and her daughters to make her cry before, and she didn't want to start now. "Yes, ma'am," she said meekly, and stepped out of the hallway into the closet-sized room with the straw pallet.  
  
Outside the door, she could hear her "family" busily getting ready for the ball. She was quickly bored by the shallow discussions about clothing and shoes that her sisters were carrying on, so she tuned them out and began to daydream.  
  
In her dreams, she arrived at the ball in a beautiful carriage drawn by four white horses. Her dress was made of red satin and made her look beautiful and refined... fit to be a princess. When she stepped out of the carriage, her flame-red curls beautifully framing her face and her dress trailing majestically behind her, all eyes immediately turned to her.  
  
Then suddenly the Prince was there. Karen didn't know what he looked like, but in her dreams he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He gazed at her in awe and began to walk toward her. When he reached her, he took her arm and they entered the ball together...  
  
She was quite rudely interrupted from her nice little fantasy by the harsh, grating voice of her stepmother. "We're leaving! And I expect the house to be spotless when we return, wench!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am," she called politely, her tone revealing none of her dark thoughts about burning her stepmother to a crisp. A moment later, she heard the door slam, and then an eerie, lonely silence reigned.  
  
Karen sighed to herself and went out to the back of the house, to the garden. She sat on a log and buried her face in her hands, letting tears slide down her cheeks.  
  
One of her tears splashed on the ground glowed white. Karen looked at the glowing ground and backed up as a small figure dressed in all white appeared. The small woman's white hair seemed to be longer then she was tall and she was floating in a large transparent sphere. Her robes were as white as her hair and on her forehead there was a strange symbol.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
(( I'm your fairy god-mother )) the figure said, and showed Karen a wand to prove it. (( You've been terribly mistreated and I've come here to grant your Wish... to go to the Ball and meet the prince))  
  
"You mean I can go?!"  
  
(( Yes, you can go.. but first you must bring me a pumpkin, four mice and two Kamuis ))  
  
Karen raced around the house to find the items and when she had gotten them all, her fairy god-mother turned them into a coach, four white horses and two coachhands.  
  
(( There you go, my dear.. you're ready to go ))   
  
"Um, ma'am.. fairy god-mother.. I can't go in this dress.." Karen said, showing the fairy the rags.  
  
(( Oh dear, you're right... )) with another flick of the fairy's wand, Karen's dress turned into the dress from her dreams, bright crimson with white lace at the low neckline and sleeves. Her hair lost the dirt and soot and curled at her neck, becoming flame bright. On her feet were pure glass slippers fitting perfectly on her feet.   
  
(( Get in the coach now, before you are late ))   
  
Karen climbed into the coach and waved goodbye to her fairy godmother. "Thank you so much!"  
  
(( Remember this.. you must leave before the clock strikes midnight! At midnight, it will all turn the way it was before! ))  
  
"I'll leave before midnight, I promise!" Karen called as the coach drove onto the road and down to the castle.  
  
The trip to the castle seemed to last forever, and Karen's excitement built with each passing moment. Even if the Prince didn't choose her... even if she didn't even see the Prince, she would still have the memory of going to the ball and feeling beautiful and worthy just for that one night. Even the worry that her mother and stepsisters might notice her and embarrass her was not enough to temper her happiness.  
  
Finally the coach pulled up in front of the castle. Karen gazed out the window, in awe of the beautiful scene. The turrets of the castle were lit with hundreds of candles, and outside, hundreds of handsome lords and ladies in beautiful dresses were making their way inside, stepping delicately on the red velvet carpet that had been laid out.  
  
Feeling a little nervous, she stepped carefully out of the coach and began to walk down the carpet, trying to act as if she did this sort of thing all the time. To her surprise, she saw heads turn toward her all the way up the walk. Ladies looked at her with envy and admiration, and men stared in awe of her loveliness. In this atmosphere, she could almost pretend that the Prince was standing in the doorway, waiting to take her arm and lead her into the ball as his princess.  
  
At the doorway, she stood for a moment to let her eyes adjust to the bright light. When she could finally see, she gasped in pleasant surprise, letting her eyes wander across the huge ballroom. Hundreds of men and women were dancing across the floor, dressed in beautiful gowns and suits.   
  
Karen smiled and wandered off to the side to continue watching people. She was so engrossed in watching the people dance that she almost didn't see Kanoe and her daughters to her right.  
  
"Where is the Prince?" Kanoe grumbled as she looked over the heads of the people in the ballroom. Karen turned at the sound of her voice and ducked behind a curtain.  
  
"I don't know, Mother... and many people haven't seen him either." Arashi said, fanning herself with a large ornate fan.  
  
"I wonder if this whole thing was just a hoax made by the King..." Satsuki mused.  
  
Kanoe shook her head. "I doubt it. They're probably desperate to get the Prince married.... he IS in his 30s."  
  
"He's that old?" Arashi asked, aghast.  
  
"Don't worry, dear." Kanoe said, smirking as they begin to walk past Karen's curtain. "He's rich, that's what matters."  
  
Karen waited until they were out of hearing range before she let out a breath. "Old money grabbing bitch."  
  
"I agree." A voice said from behind her and Karen whirled around, eyes wide. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:  
  
A man was standing behind her, a blush on his otherwise handsome face.  
His hair was light brown and decorated with a simple circlet. The outfit he had  
one was a light blue, with a gold sash across the chest and gold decorations on  
the shoulders and sleeves.  
"I'm sorry.. I wasn't aware there was someone else behind this curtain."  
Karen was about to back out, but the man grabbed her wrist.   
"Oh, don't go... I'm sorry if I scared you..." Karen stared at the man and  
sheepishly, he said, "That's a very beautiful dress."  
"Why thank you..." Karen smiled and looked down at the big skirt of her  
dress.   
"It's a good colour, it suits you." The man continued, blushing and  
bringing a hand to nervously rub at the back of his head.  
Karen smiled up at him. "I like that color on you, as well. It makes you  
look good."   
The man laughed softly. "You're the first one to tell me that tonight.. well, I  
haven't made myself seen yet.. would you like to dance?" Her eyes lit up and he  
smiled down at her.  
"I would love to." She started to blush herself as the man placed a hand  
on her shoulder and steered her out of the curtain.  
"Then let's dance.."  
As they stepped out onto the dance floor, Karen could've sworn she heard  
a collective gasp from the crowd. She felt a sudden surge of unreasonable fear--  
was it possible that her mother and sisters had found out she was here, and had  
told everyone that she was nothing but a cinder wench?  
But then the man smiled at her, and the gentleness in his hazel eyes  
melted all her fear away. She sighed as he put an arm around her waist, leaning  
against him and clasping his other hand in the customary dance position. She  
hadn't been touched so gently and kindly in a very long time.   
The arm around her waist tightened, pulling her closer, and she leaned  
her head against his chest as the slow, dreamy music swirled around them.  
Other couples were out on the floor as well, but none of them mattered to Karen,  
and so she didn't notice them. She also didn't notice the fact that she and her  
partner were the focus of everyone else's attention.  
"What's your name?" he whispered into her ear as they swayed to the  
music.  
/Cinder-karen,/ she thought ironically, remembering the derisive nickname  
her stepmother had made up for her. "Karen," she told him.   
"Ah... that's a very beautiful name," he said, and she smiled, because he  
certainly sounded like he was blushing again. "I'm Seiichirou."  
"Interesting..." The name sounded vaguely familiar, but Karen couldn't  
remember where she'd heard it before. "Why are you here?"  
He laughed a little. "My father made me come," he confessed, a little  
sheepishly. "I didn't really want to. These balls... I really don't like them much."  
"Why not?" Karen murmured. "They're so glamorous and exciting...  
everyone and everything looks so beautiful."  
"It gets old after a while, trust me. And my father's always trying to marry  
me off to one of those silly money-grubbing girls who show up at these things,  
but I really don't want any of them."  
Karen froze. His father was trying to marry him off... the circlet on his  
head... the gasp she'd heard from the crowd earlier when he had appeared...  
"You're not... I mean, are you... the Prince?" she asked in a hushed tone.  
Her dancing partner stiffened for a moment. "Well.. I um..." He cleared his  
throat. "Well I... well yes I am.."  
"Oh..." She wondered if he would stop the dance and leave her in a   
corner by herself.  
"I was hoping you wouldn't realize that.... it's so much more easier to talk  
to a person when they don't know that you're royalty." He squeezed her hand  
momentarily. "Don't run off now, please?"  
"...I won't." She glanced up at him and smiled gently, which he returned.  
This was turning out much better then her dreams.  
In the corner of the ballroom, Kanoe was stomping around as usual, still  
looking for the elusive Prince.  
"Give it up, Mother." Satsuki said boredly as they stopped to rest. "He's  
probably hiding."  
"No, I know he's here somewhere."'  
"Isn't that him?" Arashi pointed to the center of the ballroom, where there  
were several couples dancing, one of which was a tall brown-haired man and a  
lovely red-haired woman.  
Kanoe pushed Arashi aside to get a better look. "That's him alright... but  
that woman with him..."  
Satsuki peered over her mother's shoulder. "She looks rather familiar."  
Arashi regained her footing and examined the dancing couple for a few  
seconds. "She looks like Cinder-karen..."  
Kanoe's eyes narrowed and she looked at the couple more closely. "It IS  
that little wench!"  
"I wonder where she got that dress.. it looks beautiful on her." Arashi  
commented.  
"Probably stole it, you know how that girl is." Kanoe clenched her teeth  
and walked to the other side of the ball, closer to the Prince and his partner.  
"That girl is going to get it."  
Karen was in absolute heaven. They had been dancing most of the night  
and her feet were not hurting one bit, which guaranteed a few more dances with  
Seiichirou. Finally it was 30 minutes to midnight and the couple decided to rest.  
"This has been a wonderful night." Seiichirou said, smiling at the  
red-head.  
"Yes.." she sighed happily.  
"Tell me about yourself... you must come from a good home if you wear a  
beautiful dress like that."  
Karen's smile faded. "Oh.. well I live with my stepmother and  
stepsisters...."  
"Who are very displeased with you," Kanoe's sharp voice said from  
behind her.   
Karen froze, her face going sheet white. She felt Seiichirou's hand close  
around hers, a very small comfort in the face of the utter humiliation and  
ruination she was about to face.   
"Is there something you need, ma'am?" she heard him ask.  
"Yes. I'd like my servant girl back," Kanoe said cruelly, grabbing Karen's  
arm roughly.  
The comment made Karen flinch, and she found herself fighting back  
tears again. It wasn't possible that they were going to ruin this perfect night for  
her...  
"I wish you'd treat her with a little more respect than that, madam,"  
Seiichirou responded, and she could hear traces of his regal upbringing in his  
tone.  
"She doesn't deserve that. She's been very disobedient. Sneaking out of  
the house... stealing someone's dress and shoes... lying to you, Your Majesty..."  
Kanoe finished her speech in a simpering tone, bowing to the Prince.  
"Lying to me--"  
"The truth is, she's nothing but a cinder wench," Kanoe said, clearly  
enjoying Karen's burning face and humiliated expression. "To think she thought  
she could ever have a chance with a prince... I only ask you to spare her life so  
that she may return home and continue to serve us. There's so much to do  
around the house, and we don't have any other servants."  
Karen didn't wait to hear Seiichirou's reply. She couldn't even bring  
herself to look up at him, not wanting to see his gentle and affectionate gaze  
changed to one of disgust and disdain. Jerking out of her stepmother's grasp,  
she got up and ran from the ballroom.  
Seiichirou stared after her, then turned angrily on the very self-satisfied  
Kanoe. "Who do you think you are, treating her like that when she's three times  
the woman you could ever dream of being?"  
Kanoe's eyes widened at the angry words. "But Your Majesty--"  
"I don't want to hear it. Get out of my sight." He wasn't one to anger  
easily, but the thought that he would probably never see Karen again was  
making him very upset. She was the only woman who had ever interested him in  
the stream of countless boring balls and parties he had been forced to attend,  
and now he had lost her forever.  
He sighed, suddenly catching sight of his father hurrying toward him.   
"Seiichirou, we're going to need a decision--"  
"Not tonight, Father."   
The King glared at his son. "Everyone is expecting you to decide tonight!  
If you don't have a woman picked out in twenty minutes, I'm going to choose for  
you!"  
Seiichirou stared at his father. "Father, I.."  
"Twenty minutes."   
"Alright, Father. I'll have a bride in twenty minutes, I swear." Seiichirou  
turned and left the ballroom at a refined run, in the direction he had last seen  
Karen. It took him a painfully long time, but finally he found her. The woman was  
kneeling near a marble column in the grand hall, almost invisible among the  
bright scarlet curtains.  
"Karen?" Seiichirou asked softly, approaching the trembling girl.  
She snapped her head up and turned to look at him fearfully. His heart  
twinged at the sight of her tear-covered face. "Yes, your Majesty?"  
"My name is Seiichirou," he said and offered her a hand. "Would you like  
me to escort you back to the ballroom?"  
Karen glanced at his hand. "You don't want to be seen with a cinder  
wench." She turned her head away and he could see more tears threatening to  
spill over her cheeks.  
He kneeled next to her. "I don't know what that woman was talking about,  
nor do I care... the only thing I know is that I have until midnight... two minutes,  
to choose a bride and the only woman who I think is interesting enough to  
marry... is you."  
Karen looked at him. "You... " her eyes widened suddenly. "Did you say  
two minutes to midnight?!" Horror dawned in her eyes and she stood up and  
started to run down the hallway. "I've got to leave!" Inwardly, she begged God  
not to let her Prince see her in her horrible dirty rags.   
"Wait, Karen, please!" Seiichirou followed her as she fled out the door  
and down the large palace steps.  
"I can't!" She cried out suddenly as she tripped on her large skirt, leaving  
one of her glass slippers behind. She started to go back for the shoe, but above  
her, the large palace clock began to chime the hour. Biting her to lip to keep  
from crying, she abandoned her slipper and retreated into the coach. It quickly  
began to leave the palace ground, even as the clock continued to chime.  
Seiichirou jumped to the bottom of the stairs and stared in dismay as the  
coach disappeared into the shadows. He sighed painfully and started back up  
the stairs, noticing the slipper on the steps. He bent down and picked up the  
glass object, examining it with his fingers. "I can find her with this..."  
"Seiichirou!" His father called from the top of the stairs. "Have you found a  
bride yet?"  
Seiichirou quickly raced through his mind for something to tell his father.  
"I have, Father... but she's run off."  
"Then I will be choosing a bride for you, if she's not here."   
"No, Father, wait! I have a bride.. and even though she's not here, I know  
where to find her... please, Father.. I'll bring her in a week, I promise I will. Just..  
please, Father."   
The King looked at his only son, wondering if he should give the boy a  
week. There was such a strange look in his son's eyes, one of hopefulness and  
determination. "Alright," he said finally. "You must have her in one week... or in  
one week, you will be marrying the woman I choose for you."  
"I understand, Father. Thank you."  
A hush fell over the crowd as Seiichirou stepped up on the stage at the  
front of the ballroom. He cleared his throat and began to speak.  
"Ladies and gentleman, I am sorry to announce that I will not be selecting  
a bride tonight. Certain circumstances have prevented me from making my  
selection, but I promise you that by the end of the week, this kingdom will have a  
new princess and future Queen." With that, he bowed and left the stage, retiring  
to his room for the evening.  
The crowd applauded, but down on the dance floor, Kanoe was seething.   
"The only reason he isn't choosing tonight is because that wench hogged him for  
the whole evening! He didn't even have a chance to dance with the most  
beautiful ladies here-- the two of you, of course-- and now he might choose  
someone else to marry, all because of her!"  
"That little bitch… I should have done more than just tear her dress,"  
Satsuki snarled.  
"Oh, she'll get what she deserves," Kanoe snapped. "Come on, let's go  
home. No sense in staying here anymore, the Prince is gone."  
Back at the house, Karen had curled up on her straw pallet and was  
staring dejectedly at the wall. It seemed that Seiichirou had really wanted to  
marry her, but now that she had run off, he was probably going to choose  
another woman-or have one chosen for him by his father. And not only had she  
lost him, but she knew that Kanoe was going to punish her for sneaking out.  
As if on cue, the door slammed shut and Karen heard footsteps stomping  
toward her room. She braced herself.  
Kanoe stormed into the room and grabbed Karen's arm, roughly jerking  
her up from the bed. "What did you think you were doing?" she shouted, her  
face turning beet red with anger. "You ruined my daughters' chances with the  
Prince with your stupid games!"  
Karen turned her face away, refusing to let the woman's anger intimidate  
her. "Did he choose a woman to marry?" she asked softly.  
"What does it matter to you, cinder wench?" A sudden realization  
occurred to Kanoe, and with it, an idea that would be the perfect revenge on  
Karen. "You didn't fall in love with him, did you?" she asked in a cruelly amused  
tone.  
Karen averted her eyes and refused to respond.  
Kanoe laughed derisively. "Imagine that. A common servant in love with a  
prince-- how tragic. Well, sorry to ruin your little fantasy, but the Prince chose a  
bride after you ran off."  
Karen felt her heart twist painfully. "No…" she breathed.  
"Yes, he did. Not only that, he publicly apologized to the whole kingdom  
for spending the whole evening dancing with common servant trash," Kanoe lied  
gleefully.  
Her face paling, Karen swallowed hard. She couldn't possibly believe that  
the Seiichirou she knew would ever dream of saying such a thing… but how well  
did she really know him, after all? She'd only just met him that night, and he was  
royalty… She didn't know what to believe, but there was an ache in her heart  
that told her that she had lost her prince forever.  
After a moment, she realized that Kanoe was talking again. "You will be  
punished for this, of course. We've made things easy for you so far, we've had  
mercy on you, but all that is going to end. I want the whole house cleaned before  
you go to sleep tonight… oh, and you can take your mattress outside and sleep  
with the dogs. It's all you deserve." She released Karen's arm suddenly, and the  
girl fell back against the pallet. Kanoe then stomped out of the room, her anger  
clearly not completely relieved.  
Karen shut her eyes, but a few tears managed to sneak out and slide  
down her cheeks. She didn't care about having to clean the house. She didn't  
even care about having to sleep outside. She would sleep outside with the dogs  
for the rest of her life, gladly, if she could just see Seiichirou one more time. If  
she could just know that he hadn't said those things about her… that he still  
cared for her. Even if he married another woman, she could be happy if she  
only knew that one small fact.  
With a heartbroken sigh, she set about doing her chores. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:  
  
Seiichirou flipped to another page in the kingdom directory. The court advisor watched him from a corner and after a few minutes, spoke up. "What are you looking for, again?"  
  
"I must find her.... but I don't know her last name or where she lives."  
  
"Do you know anything about this mystery girl of yours?" The advisor sat down at the table and pulled a large book to him.  
  
"She has bright red, curly hair and large gold eyes.... she's very kind and interesting and she dances wonderfully." Seiichirou almost sighed dreamily but one look from the advisor made him cough and continue on his search. "Oh, and her stepmother is tall with wavy black hair and would be well-advised to pull her neckline up."  
  
"Oh, are you talking about Kanoe?" The advisor said, and pulled out a piece of parchment to write down something.  
  
"....You know of this woman?"  
  
"Of course. Just about every man in the kingdom knows of Kanoe... especially her attempts to marry off her two daughters... though I haven't heard of another, third daughter..."  
  
Seiichirou picked up the piece of parchment and looked at the directions on it. "She called Karen her servant.. I suppose she doesn't think of her as a daughter. Thank you, my friend. I'll be going out today to find Karen and bring her back.. don't get any escorts ready, I'll be fine by myself." Seiichirou hopped over the railing in the library and nearly ran up to his room to get dressed for going out.  
  
The court advisor watched him amusedly. "I've never seen him so... taken with such a common girl."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Several hours later, Seiichirou was standing in front of the door to Kanoe's small cottage. He was a bit nervous, which was a new experience for him; being a prince, he'd never had much to worry about before. Karen had been extremely upset, though, and he was a little afraid that she might reject him, or even be unwilling to speak to him.  
  
Shaking off his concerns, he knocked firmly on the door and tried to look regal. He closed his fingers around the glass slipper in his other hand, reminding himself of what was at stake.  
  
Kanoe opened the door, and her sour expression immediately morphed into her best imitation of a charming smile when she saw who was behind it. "Your Majesty, what a pleasant surprise!" she cooed, curtsying to him. "To what do we owe the honor of your royal presence?"  
  
Seiichirou cleared his throat and prepared to lie through his teeth. "Well, as you know, I am in search of a wife," he began. "And of course, only the most beautiful and refined woman is fit to be my bride. I've heard rumors that your daughters were the most beautiful in the land, and I was very sorry that I was unable to meet with them last night. Might I see them now?"  
  
Kanoe's eyes were shining. "Of course!" She led him into the house. "Arashi! Satsuki!"  
  
The two girls appeared almost immediately. When they saw him, they stood up a little straighter and stuck out their chests (which, since their necklines were nearly as low as Kanoe's, gave Seiichirou quite a view). He looked them over; they were both pretty, but their beauty was nothing compared to Karen's, and he had the feeling that all three women in the room saw him as a walking dollar sign rather than a man. He sighed, wishing he could just demand to see Karen now, but he decided it would probably be smartest to play along for now. And anyway, even though he was far from a spiteful and vengeful man, he was kind of enjoying stringing Kanoe along in return for her rude treatment of Karen the night before.  
  
"You are both quite lovely," he said. Arashi blushed, and Satsuki just smiled knowingly. "It's going to be hard for me to choose between you." He noted Kanoe's self-satisfied smile.  
"Oh, and there's another reason I stopped by," he said offhandedly. "Where is that servant girl I met last night?"  
  
Anger flashed across Kanoe's face. "She is doing her chores. Once again, I am terribly sorry that your Majesty was forced to consort with a girl of such low stature. I assure you it will not happen again, and she is being duly punished."  
  
"That's... good to hear," Seiichirou lied, gritting his teeth. "And I apologize for my outburst last night. I was not thinking clearly, and I see now that you were correct in disciplining her. May I speak with her? I'm afraid she might have gotten the wrong idea about our interactions last night. She may be only a lowly servant girl, but I do not wish to be cruel, and I'd like to tell her myself that I will be marrying one of your daughters."  
  
Kanoe looked as if she was going to squeal with excitement. Instead, she cleared her throat and said in a measured voice, "Yes, well, you are kinder to her than I would be, but I suppose that reflects well on your upbringing. I shall fetch her." She clapped her hands loudly. "Wench! Come here!"  
  
Seiichirou took a few deep breaths. He was a peaceful man, and he most certainly did not believe in hitting women, but if Kanoe spoke to Karen like that one more time, she was going to be treading very dangerous ground.  
  
Across the house, Karen heard Kanoe's shout and winced. She wondered what kind of terrible task the woman had thought up for her now. All morning, she'd been running around doing ridiculous chores like shining Arashi's shoes and cleaning Satsuki's mirror, and she had a feeling that Kanoe would never run out of pointless jobs to give her.  
  
She hurried toward the voice, hoping that at least Kanoe would allow her to have some lunch sometime that day, for she was getting a little hungry. She stepped through the doorway and looked expectantly at her stepmother. "Yes, ma'am?"  
  
"You have a visitor," Kanoe said with measured spite.  
  
Karen turned slowly, and to her great dismay, she saw Seiichirou standing at the other side of the room staring at her. Horrified, she realized that she looked terrible-- her clothes were disheveled and torn, and her hair and face were nearly black with soot, dust and dirt. Ashamed, she turned her head away and stared at the floor while her sisters giggled cruelly behind her.  
  
"The Prince has something to say to you regarding your terribly unrefined conduct last night," Kanoe went on, seeming to take pleasure in the way the girl's shoulders began to tremble. "And regarding his choice of a bride."  
  
Karen heard footsteps, and realized that he was walking toward her. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him, until he reached out and gently clasped her hand. Shocked, she looked up into his face, and instead of the dismay and disgust she had expected, she saw the same gentle and kind smile he had given her many times the night before.  
  
"I came to tell you that I have found my bride right here in this house," he said softly.   
  
Karen's spirits soared for an instant, until Kanoe laughed aloud and said "Yes, he'll be marrying one of your stepsisters. Isn't that exciting?"  
  
"Now, wait, madam," Seiichirou said, releasing Karen's hand and holding his own up. "There is one more condition. The woman I marry must be able to wear this shoe." His other hand came out from behind his back, holding the glass slipper.  
  
Karen could barely contain a gasp of surprise as she saw the shoe. It should have vanished along with her dress and its mate, but there it was. A tiny bubble of hope erupted in her heart.  
  
Kanoe raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Karen, bring in a chair so Arashi and Satsuki can sit down."  
  
Karen was quick to obey and stood in the corner of the room as Satsuki sat down on the chair. Seiichirou knelt in front of her and flushed a little as Satsuki pulled her dress up to her thigh and held her foot out for him. Carefully so that the glass would not break, Seiichirou placed the shoe on the girl's foot. Try as he might, he could not get it to fit properly, for Satsuki's foot was too big.  
  
Kanoe bit her lip and shoved Arashi forward. "Your foot is not as big as Satsuki's... I don't know why he even bothers trying your foot in it."  
  
"I don't know, Mother..." Arashi grumbled and sat in the chair. She only pulled her skirt up to her knees, unlike her sister, and Seiichirou slipped the shoe onto her foot.  
  
"A perfect fit!" Kanoe squealed and Karen felt her heart break in half again.  
  
"Er... not quite, madam." Seiichirou gestured to the shoe. "Her foot is too small." Indeed it was, and the slipper was threatening to fall off.  
  
"Oh, but surely you're not going to let just a little difference in size stop you from making your decision..."  
  
"That was the requirement..." Seiichirou held the slipper in his hand. "Why don't you let Ka... your servant try it on?"  
  
Kanoe grabbed Karen's arm and pulled her back. "There's no need. It is certainly not going to fit her."  
  
"There's no harm in letting her try." Seiichirou's voice was carefully contained and Kanoe flinched at the tone and shoved Karen forward.  
  
"Your Majesty, you're only wasting your time... however, if you feel that you must let her try it on..."  
  
Seiichirou caught Karen's eye and smiled at her reassuringly. Nervously, she sat down in the chair, feeling her sisters' and stepmother's glares burning holes into her back. She held out her leg to him, and he carefully and gently slid the shoe onto her foot.  
  
"Surely it fit Arashi better, didn't it?" Kanoe spoke up, chuckling nervously.   
Seiichirou winked at Karen, then looked up at Kanoe and feigned shock. "I don't believe this, but it fits perfectly!"  
  
Kanoe's eyes narrowed and her mouth set into a thin line. "Well, surely your Majesty isn't thinking of marrying this little wench. Imagine what a scandal it would be throughout the kingdom, the Prince marrying a servant!"  
  
"Well, you see, I was told that whoever could wear this slipper was meant to be royalty," Seiichirou said with barely contained amusement. "So I guess I have no other choice than to marry her..."  
  
He knelt down in front of a shocked Karen and clasped one of her hands in both of his. "My lady, I would be honored if you would agree to be my wife. I can't promise you a thrilling life-- being a royal is actually rather boring. But I think with you around it'd be a lot more interesting. Ever since our first dance last night, I haven't been able to see myself marrying anyone but you." He was blushing quite a bit by the time he finished his speech, but he managed a  
hopeful smile. "Would you be my future Queen?" he finished softly.  
  
Karen opened her mouth to reply but before she could say anything, Kanoe had grabbed her arm and pulled her quite painfully to her feet. "The answer is no. You will not marry this lowly servant."  
  
"You are telling me who I can and cannot marry?" The atmosphere in the house became quite dark and Karen shivered at the look in Seiichirou's eyes.  
  
"Of.. of course not, your Majesty... how.. however, you wouldn't want to marry this trash.. certainly Arashi or Satsuki would be a better pick."  
  
"You will not choose my bride for me, madam." As calmly as he could, Seiichirou took Karen's hand in his own and pulled her close. "My decision is final... my bride will be this lovely woman, Karen."  
  
Karen could barely contain her glee at both her wish coming true and the look of anger on Kanoe's face. She smiled at Seiichirou, "I would love to be your bride."  
  
He smiled back. "Then let's go to the palace where I can announce our wedding." He was about to pull her out the door, when Karen stopped him.  
  
"I.. I can't go to the palace all dirty like this..." she looked down at her clothes, flushing with humiliation. As if on cue, the lone slipped on her foot sparkled and surrounded her with white, shining light. When it faded away, she was clean and wearing the dress from the ball, once again beautiful and regal.  
  
Seiichirou and her stepfamily blinked for a few moments before Seiichirou bowed to her. "My Princess, let me escort you to the palace." He smiled at her and Karen blushed as she took his arm.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The king and the rest of the royal court took an instant liking to Karen, who was not only beautiful but sweet, polite and friendly, with wonderful manners. Everyone agreed that Seiichirou had chosen a fine and worthy woman to be his wife. The wedding was scheduled for a week from the day Seiichirou visited Karen's house, and the couple spent that entire week together, getting to know each other better and falling even more in love with every passing hour.   
  
The day before the wedding, Seiichirou and Karen were discussing the wedding menu with the cook when the court advisor hurried into the room. "Milady, there is someone here to see you," he said, bowing.  
  
Karen smiled, taking Seiichirou's arm and making her way out into the hallway. "I've had so many visitors this week," she said. "It's so nice of everyone to stop by and wish us well."   
  
Seiichirou smiled back at her, and she felt her heart flutter as it always did when he looked at her. She could still hardly dare to believe that it was true; after all the years of suffering and hardship, she was finally going to live a peaceful, free and happy life. Not only that, but she was going to be married to the kindest, most handsome man she had ever met. It was all so disgustingly sappy and so perfect that at any moment she expected to awaken from this  
dream with Kanoe yelling at her to get the dishes done.  
  
She stopped daydreaming when she realized they had reached the door, and opened it, smiling in expectation of the well-wishers she thought she would see behind it.  
  
The smile froze on her face when she looked up and saw her stepmother and stepsisters instead.  
  
Beside her, she felt Seiichirou grip her arm protectively. "You're not welcome here," he said simply, in a commanding tone. "Please leave on your own accord, or we will have to find someone to escort you off the premises."  
  
Kanoe whimpered. "We mean no harm, your Majesty... we only wish to give you our best wishes and to beg forgiveness from our beloved daughter and sister." Arashi and Satsuki nodded their agreement.  
  
Karen eyed her stepfamily with apprehension. She had lived with this family for years and she knew their tricks very well, and the sweet smile on Kanoe's face was certainly fake.  
  
"May I please speak with my stepdaughter alone, your Majesty?" Kanoe asked, giving Seiichirou a pleading, almost-innocent look.  
  
"No, I'm afraid that if you speak to my soon-to-be wife, you will have to speak to me as well." His grip on her arm tightened and he pulled her slightly away from the door.  
  
"But your Majesty, I want one last chance to speak to my daughter... please?"  
  
Karen looked up at Seiichirou. "Go ahead, I'll be fine."  
  
He hesitated for a few moments before nodding his consent. "I'll be outside the door if you need me." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.  
  
Karen watched him go with a smile on her face, and was not-so-shocked when Kanoe grabbed her arm, digging her nails into the younger woman's skin. "I can't believe you," Kanoe hissed, dark rage on her face. "The house is a mess without you, cinderwench. How dare you leave home! It's your fault that the house is horrible now and that I've lost all my money." Karen tried to pull away, but Kanoe's grip was like steel. "I command you come back home immediately and clean the house... then maybe I'll sell you to make up for the money I've lost. The Prince was mad to choose you for a bride instead of one of my lovely daughters."  
  
Karen was on the verge of crying out for Seiichirou when Satsuki and Arashi pulled Kanoe off her. "That's enough, Mother," Arashi said. "It's not Karen's fault."  
  
Kanoe looked like she was about to scream when the door opened again and she put on her mask. "I couldn't help but over-hear." Seiichirou said calmly, as if he had walked in on a card game. "It seems to me, Madam," he said to Kanoe, "that if you are so obsessed with cleaning and with money, a simple servant job will do you well." He thought for a moment. "40 years in the laundry room with the rest of the maids will be fit, don't you think?" He gestured behind  
him and two old maids came behind him and took Kanoe's arms.  
  
"Come on, young lady. We'll go get you fitted for the uniform," one of the maids said and Karen and her stepsisters all smiled as their mother was dragged away.  
  
Karen looked up at her husband and grinned. "My hero," she teased him.  
  
He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Her attitude was really beginning to get to me," he confessed, smiling a little.   
  
Karen laughed, then turned to her stepsisters. "I know we've never gotten along, but thank you for sticking up for me just then," she said softly.  
  
Arashi and Satsuki exchanged guilty looks, then looked back at Karen. "It's nothing," Arashi said finally. "With you gone, Mother was getting worse and worse, and we finally began to realize that maybe all her attempts to marry us off were doing us more harm than good."  
  
"So we'd like to ask you to forgive us for being so jealous and cruel to you all those years," Satsuki spoke up. "We're glad that you're finally going to have a better life, and we're happy for the two of you."  
  
Karen hesitated, then nodded. She knew that she and her sisters would never be really close after all the years of bad treatment, but at least they could stop hating each other now.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Finally, the day of Karen's dreams arrived. She stood nervously in her dressing room, watching her reflection. Her wedding gown was pure white with pearls and diamonds decorating the sleeves and skirt and matching gloves and veil. She blushed a little at the image and twirled around a little, holding the skirt out.  
  
"Princess, it's time." An old woman said, opening the doorway and Karen's blush grew deeper. Carefully she placed the veil over her eyes, as was custom and left the room to go to the entrance of the ballroom. Outside the door, she met an equally as nervous Seiichirou.  
  
He blushed when he saw her in her dress and carefully took her arm. "I love you..." he whispered, though his throat was a little bit too tight.   
  
Karen giggled. "I love you too, Seiichirou." She smiled fondly at him and as the wedding music started, the couple began to walk down the long carpet, nobles standing on either side of the large room.  
  
The ceremony went by in a blur, full of vows and speeches and gifts. Before Karen knew it, she and Seiichirou were seated at a table, receiving congratulations from guests. On her curly hair, there was a circlet and on her left finger, a shining gold ring.  
  
After most of the guests had paid their respects and were gone, Seiichirou nudged his new bride, who was staring off into space. "See, you're daydreaming already. I told you the life of a royal wasn't too interesting," he teased gently.  
  
Karen turned toward him, beaming. "No, not daydreaming. Just thinking about how wonderful all of this is."  
  
Seiichirou nodded. "It must be nice to finally be comfortable and treated with respect after living with that... woman... for so long..." The tone of his voice made it obvious that if he had been a less polite man, he would have used a stronger word than "woman".  
  
Karen laughed. "Well, yes, it is, but that's not the best part," she murmured, gazing fondly at him.  
  
"It isn't?" He frowned in confusion. "Then what is?"  
  
She answered not with words, but with a kiss.  
  
And on that note, they lived happily ever after.  
  
  
The End 


End file.
